Style Icon: Alex Turner

A good friend once told me that the distinctive fashion darling – more commonly known as Alexa Chung – had no choice but to end her four year relationship with her boyfriend, Alex Turner, due to his incomparable dress sense. Ultimately, it seems, he was beating her to the spotlight.

The English guitarist and frontman of Arctic Monkeys is nothing less than a special, one-of-a-kind musician, whose choice in clothing ranges from leather inspired, indie rock jackets to vintage prep and mod pieces. Alex is just one of very few artists to both rejuvenate and pull off the mop-top hair cut with great ease and confidence. Throughout his music career, the varied usage of guitars and studio recording equipment is paramount and of top quality. Equally, his choice of threads is as parallel and impressive.

If you were to search for ‘Alex Turner fashion’ on Google, you would need both time and patience on your hands. The quantities of ‘in-trend’ and ‘this season’ collections which feature him are beyond any other musical style icons I have previously covered. More than an entire generation of both male and female Alex Turner/Arctic Monkeys fans will project their praise and admiration for the young gentlemen’s voice, mannerisms and chic dress sense.

When Arctic Monkeys released their debut album, ‘Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not’, NME Magazine declared the album the ‘5th greatest British album of all time’. This piece of work resulted in the band receiving awards for Best British Band, Best New Band and Best Track. The album’s title represents the classical attitude of a musician who holds confidence and self-belief, a trait many of us (including myself) crave – and lot’s of it.

Men’s Style Icon: Ne-Yo

Singer, songwriter, superstar and self-confident could all be used to describe perennial chart sensation Shaffer Smith or, as he is better known, Ne-Yo. While the above statement could be taken as a little brash, it is generally not too far from the truth as Ne-Yo has often demonstrated time and time again.

Style Icon: Zac Efron Latest Haircuts

 Zac Efron is consistently switching up his hair cut, and I love it. He hands down does one of the best job of stylishly changing up his hair compared to other famous celebs with his hair type. Zac's new hairstyle is a simple, clean tapered/crew cut, which is very different from his last cut. I wonder if he's playing in an army movie or something? That would possibly explain the total opposite new look.

 Zac's mid to end of 2010 hair cut. This was one of my favorite looks from him… with the full beard and mustache — it was very masculine, but in a more polished than scruffy way (which I liked). I honestly thought he would keep this look all winter.

Style Icon: Chace Crawford

Editor Feature Introduction

Today we have the next edition in our style icons series. The theory behind these articles is that you are going to find a famous male who appeals to your sense of style. As we progress you will notice there are no distinct patterns in the people we choose, in fact Matthew and I have discussed trying to pick those males who are slightly under the radar when it comes to fashion and style, instead of the obvious choices like Mr. Beckham and Mr. Ford. This way we can hopefully show you a wide variety of different outfits and looks in order to give you some inspiration when it comes to you dressing yourself for any occasion.

Editor Opinion

So this week Matthew has chosen Chace Crawford. Just a few weeks after our Ed Westwick feature, we now have another one of the Gossip Girl cast flying onto our style radar, and for good reason. This is another young male who definitely knows how to put a sharp look together, and he is a shining example of the direction menswear has progressed this year.

His casual looks generally consist of clean lines, fitted garments, and simple timeless colours. I have not seen him experimenting with colours in too many photos, and his palette of choice is generally navy, black, white, grey, brown and beige. These are all colours that transcend seasons, which means they can be worn year after year and still look great and on trend. It also helps that they all mix beautifully well together and you can coordinate them all within your outfits so easily.

When it comes to styling his outfits are really so stripped down and simple. He mixes dark, slim denim, with simple shirts and polo shirts in order to really give off that relaxed formal look that has been so popular throughout this whole year with the influx of chinos and a more tailored approach to casual dressing. He is also a big fan of the tailored jacket in order to give his casual looks a bit of an edge and push the relaxed formal to a new level. Whether it is an unstructured blazer over a plain tee, or a great double breasted pea coat over an open collared shirt, his casual style is timeless and refined. Something that really appeals to my own personal way of dressing.

His formal style is also one which a lot of young males can learn from. For black tie events, he always looks pristine in his custom tailored suit – tailor adjustments are ALWAYS necessary guys, even for off the peg suits – mixed with the essential white shirt and tie/bow tie combination. If you do have a dress code, the key is to wear well fitting items in order to show you know about fashion, and then add subtle little touches like a pocket square or great watch in order to give you that differential.

When there is no dress code, you can do what Chace does and pair beautiful suits with simple plain monochrome t-shirts, open collar shirts (lose the tie and the top couple of buttons), or even a casual check shirt like he has done in the images below. This is a perfect look for the younger readers who are not quite ready for the whole “power dressing” ethos. Losing the shirt and tie combination will keep your formal style youthful and modern, whilst not losing any of the important style factor.

So Chace is by no means an innovator within men’s fashion, as he sticks to simple pieces in timeless colours for the majority of the outfits he creates. But that is his personal style and what he is comfortable in. We always try to preach about findingwhat works for YOU and wearing outfits that make you feel at your most confident. You don’t have to go out everyday in crazy colours or with bells and whistles on you in order to be classed as stylish or fashionable. Simple timeless style can serve you well whether you are young or old… and I think Chace proves this.

Matthew Introduction

My style icon for this week is one of my personal favourites of the celebrities I have lined up for you Fashionbeaners. I featured his co-star a couple of weeks ago, and this man is equally as stylish. This week, my style icon is American actor, Chace Crawford.

Like his co-star Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford is known for his role of Nate Archibald in the hit American drama Gossip Girl. Style wise, he is equally as well dressed off screen as he is on. On-screen, as he is always attending formal occasions with the lavish lifestyle he lives, he dresses up for the occasion using elegant clothing and timeless pieces such as tailored tuxedos and slim fitting suits. Quite often his formalwear consists of a black tailored suit with a fitted shirt underneath which has a couple of buttons undone. You might argue that his on-screen character looks the way he does because he is able to afford designer clothing – and yes it’s true he can – but you are able to look just as good by wearing high-street clothing that is a lot more affordable. There is nothing stopping you having high street suits adjusted and customised professionally at tailors, and they will end up looking twice as expensive when you have them on if they fit you like a glove.

Off screen, it seems he has taken dressing tips from the stylists, as his outfits are relatively similar to those on-screen. His casual-wear is often quite simple, yet smart, and he also knows how to dress up to the occasion. On a day to day basis, he often wears a polo shirt, tee, or an open collar plain shirt with dark slim jeans or chinos. In a recent interview, he said that he paying a lot more attention to the way he dresses, and developed a sense of style because of the role he plays in the hit American series. “I like Ralph Lauren Rugby, John Varvatos – he’s really bad-a*s – Diesel jeans, and I wear a slim-fitting, one-buttoned suit from Dolce and Gabbana. And I’m really getting into watches.”

I think the most important thing here is that Chace has found a style of dressing that works for him, his personalty and tastes. In the end it means he comes across confident and well dressed on any occasion. The beauty of it is that he does it in the most simplest of ways by picking timeless items and colours to pair together. It’s really easy to get this look, and it means that your wardrobe will always be on trend and ready for any occasion you throw at it. In my opinion, he appeals to the everyday male, and that’s what makes him a style icon.

from here

David Beckham Footballer, Model, Icon…Designer

A marketable name is one of the great commodities of the modern world. Names are bought like property; propped up, squeezed of their use and then traded on. The market for perfume is a perfect example. Celebrities who wouldn’t know a bass note from a bass guitar team up with people who do to produce their ‘signature’ scent; the product is invariably awful, the margins are invariably huge.

There is something so nauseatingly sweet and shiny about that word; ‘celebrity.’ It seems forever sprinkled with glitter. The Beckham family, who owe much of their wealth to the professional success and consistent marketability of the patriarch, are of particular interest to all ‘celebrigorgers’; they begin salivating at the sight of pink neon headlines like ‘Victoria in Crisis’, licking their lips at the prospect of ‘Exclusive Pics of Beck’s Holiday Yacht.’ And it is because of this hunger, this constant need of the masses to be updated of events in their world that Mr and Mrs Beckham continue to be a marketable product.

Mr Beckham has long ceased to be much of a marketable product in the world of professional football. As a living football icon, he is unparalleled but he’d be lucky to rejoin a competitive European league. He is old, has been performing very averagely of late and is no longer hunted by the grand clubs of Italy, England or Spain. Fortunately, he has found a side career as a clothes horse, brand ambassador and extraordinarily well-paid model and now it seems he wants a cut of the creation too; that’s right folks, David Beckham is launching his very own menswear collection.

Dismissed him already? Well, that’s to be expected. Many women have dismissed his wife’s ability to design women’s clothes and have predicted her label to flop, so it is likely the same prediction will be made about her husband, especially considering that Mr Beckham’s collection will be produced in conjunction with his wife’s new label. Why use him? Firstly, he is a household name in Europe, certainly and he has a popular following in football-mad Asia too. He’s better known now stateside, although the nation’s lack of interest in ‘soccer’ means plenty of Americans will be unaware of his existence.

Secondly? The man does actually have an eye for style, and manages to make other famous and supposedly ‘stylish’ sportsmen look distinctly average; if Tom Brady is ‘stylish’ then Beckham is Beau Brummell. He loves tailoring too, and is keen on an array of vintage styles, particularly the baker boy flat cap and the three-piece suit. The designers will no doubt have their own ideas, but Beckham will have to be the muse for their work if the brand is to have any legitimacy and those hired to perform that work will be relieved that the multi-tattooed multi-millionaire can actually dress.

I fully expect expensive fabrics to be used (expect almost everything to be in cashmere), and the suits, considering the way he wears them, may well have a decent cut; consequently, I also expect the prices to reflect this. This is where the problem may lie; too high a price, and the products will bomb.

Style Icon: Johnny Depp

He’s played a cop, a pirate, a twisted barber, an asexual chocolatier, a debauched Earl, a Mad Hatter and an overconfident bank robber in Public Enemies, where he brings 1930s gangster and fugitive John Dillinger back to life. Warped, witty, worldly, and more than ever … enigmatic..

He doesn’t like to be tagged as quirky or as a rebel yet Johnny Depp has come to signify a distinct style, from his top of his knitted berets to the tips of his scruffy army boots.

He is the ultimate definition of being “his own man”, he’s the master of intrigue and the ultimate purveyor of old world charm, who just manages to woo everyone his own brand of sex appeal; a chemistry that’s stirred up when a man is comfortable with himself and who he is.

His friends describe him as having a depth of character and a genuinely, open, compassionate bearing and he’s said to have an insatiable curiosity about everything and the personalities he plays are his own special mix of riotous imagination and off world whimsy.

There’s definitely something terribly manly, old fashioned and old world about Johnny. I can imagine him in days gone by, as a knight; fighting wars, slaying dragons and rescuing damsels. Yet there’s an even wilder streak in him. I also sense unbridled adventure and a thirst for the high seas, which is why I think he played John Sparrow so well; he was believable as the rakish, offbeat pirate with not a care in the world. Interestingly John Sparrow’s inner journey centered on his struggle with what it takes to be a moral person.

Johnny Depp’s characters, are somewhat drawn to justice (albeit a warped sort), loyalty, courage and nobility and whether this is true or not in his own life, they symbolise a return to good old fashioned codes of male conduct – unbridled wildness mixed in with a code of chivalry and a realisation that seeking to be a man of great character and respect is a never ending goal and that although all your goals may not be reached in this lifetime the quality of striving towards them ennobles the male spirit.

Deeply committed to honoring the characters he plays, especially those who actually lived, like Sir J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, and the iconic Dillinger, Depp says “There’s a certain responsibility playing a guy, even Dillinger. You want to do him right, ya know. You don’t want to let him down. He may be watching. So I don’t want to water down the integrity of the person I’m playing. I want to find its essence.”*

When it comes to his signature style, Depp is the ultimate fashion rebel - a fedora, tousled locks, vintage suits, a distinctive devil may care ‘tude, waistcoats & tatts!He loves his ripped jeans, his scarves, his preppy spec frames and his ‘tache. We love his style.

His mystique intrigues, so much so People Magazine gave him their Sexiest Man Alive‘ 2009 Award, for the second time, joining Clooney and Pitt as the only dudes to have been so honoured twice.

Here at MenStylePower, we like Johnny’s search for integrity and we love his clothes sense. From culture to culture and throughout history, men have upheld versions of justice, defense, and we believe these intangible virtues should be strongly encouraged and woven into every truly stylish man’s DNA.

*Excerpts from Douglas Brinkley’s portrait on Johnny Depp, ‘Johnny Depp’s Great Escape’, Vanity Fair July 2009.

from here